15 Best Islands to Visit in the Caribbean

Fabled for its place on one point in the mysterious Bermuda Triangle (although perhaps people might not mind going missing here!), this hook-curve of land is actually not, strictly speaking, in the Caribbean at all.

Instead, it bridges the gap where the Caribbean Sea meets the North Atlantic, giving it an altogether different character to many of the islands on this list.

Take the beaches, which are hued in pink thanks to powdered corals, and lapped by waves of frothy Atlantic rollers.

The topography is rugged, with rocky walls rising straight from the ocean to host clifftop golf resorts at spots like Tucker’s Point, while the climate maintains a steady sultriness and pleasant humidity, from December to December.

There are also glaring similarities to the Caribbean, like the colonial Englishness, which still sprouts up in Bermuda’s hearty country pubs and oozes from the whitewashed mansions of St George.

The British Virgin Islands poke their jungle-clad heads above the swells where the North Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea.

Blown over by the perpetual trade winds, these crown territories have long been a mecca for the chino-wearing, well-to-do sailor, raising a flapping sail and weaving designer yachts amidst the empty coves and crevices that line the moneyed tax haven of the VI archipelago.

However, in recent decades the spot has also entered the mainstream more and more, with intrepid types focusing on the endangered hawksbill colonies off Ginger Island, the blooming colours of the coral gardens, and awesome SCUBA spots, like the sunk RMS Rhone.

There’s surfing opportunities on Apple Bay, while the whitecaps all around Anegada isle offer windsurfers some long and challenging rides.

And when it’s time to relax, be sure to hit the glimmering crystalline waters of the so-called Baths, hidden between black volcanic boulders on the edge of Virgin Gorda.

The elusive ‘C’ of the ABCs makes its home between the cacti-spotted reaches of Aruba and the shimmering reefs of Bonaire.

There, just a stone’s throw from the Venezuelan coast, it rises from the cobalt waters to display multi-coloured Dutch mansions in Willemstad (a UNESCO World Heritage Site besides), craggy boulders and cliffs and swimming sea turtles at the Shete Boka National Park, boat-bobbing harbours at Fort Amsterdam, floating markets and cactus-topped hills for walking.

Given the diversity, it’s hardly surprising that Curaçao draws a really broad range of travelers.

Some come to kick-back in luxury resorts like the Hyatt with its private beach at Barbara, others will dive into awesome Playa Kalki, explore the hanging stalactites of the Hato Caves, or case out the colonial history at spots like the Maritime Museum and Postal Museum in the capital.

Defended by the age-stained bulwarks of colonial forts and crenulated, cannon-holding palisades, washed over by some of the wildest surf spots in the Caribbean (think the legendary likes of Tres Palmas, Rincon and the Middels), trodden by the likes of Christopher Columbus and the marauding pirates of the great seas, and shaped by American and Spanish history alike, Puerto Rico is unquestionably one of the jewels of the region.

The UNESCO-attested capital at San Juan is a real treat, awash with Baroque churches, the mighty El Castillo fort and the shimmering beaches of Condado.

It has a party side too, with oodles of Senor Frogs and spring breaker bars bursting from the cobbled streets after dark.

Go east to find the beautiful Luquillo beaches and the frog-spotted forests of El Yunque, or south to see off-the-beaten-track Ponce, complete with curious multi-coloured cathedrals and some of the emptiest sands on the island.

Spread out over a whopping 470,000 square kilometers of ocean between where the beaches of northern Cuba give way to the Lucayan isles, The Bahamas connect the Caribbean with the coastal reaches of the United States – and more specifically, the Sunshine State of Florida.

More recently, the rich and famous came, settling their yachts between the coves of New Providence and the beachfront villas of Paradise Island, or slapping poker chips on the Atlantis casino floor.

Don’t worry though, The Bahamas are for everyone: ecotourists flock to the reefs of Grand Bahama, beach-hunters for the secluded inlets of Long Island, sports fishers and divers straight to the coral gardens of Bimini.

Grenada is the Spice Isle: a land of nutmeg and vanilla pods and fragrant wafts of cinnamon that twist and turn in the sultry Carib air, rolling down in breezes with the trade winds to the pretty bays of Grand Anse and the shiny white sands of Morne Rouge Beach.

Volcanic in origin, the island spikes and dips with the cones of Mount Saint Catherine and the grass-rimmed crater lakes of Grand Etang alike.

Waterfalls gush and carve the landscapes too, running swiftly over the rocks at Royal Mount Carmel and flowing in moss-clad steps at the Seven Sisters, accessible only by winding hiking trails through the mountains.

Oh, and let’s not forget the human side of things: the lively local fish fries of Gouyave; the River Antoine brewing house – home to some of the oldest rum labels in the world.

From the swaying palms and rugged cliffs of Los Haitises in the east to the old mineshafts and dusty trailheads of the Sierra de Bahoruco in the west, the surfing hotspots of Cabarete and Puerto Plata in the north to the urban sprawl of Santa Domingo and its concomitant colonial treasures in the south, the Dominican Republic has plenty of tricks up its sleeve! For most, the piece de resistance is Punta Cana, where strips of white sand run along the windward coast like glistening ribbons in the moonlight, punctuated only by the occasional luxury resort, its infinity pools butting up right to rollers of the Atlantic.

Others will aim for the beautiful coast of Cibao, and hop between fishing towns and salt-washed cays.

Others still will go intrepid and seek out the ridges and hikes of the Enriquillo Valley, and indelibly green Armando Bermúdez. The choice is yours!

Cacti-topped Aruba shares much with its Latin American neighbors.

After all, this gem-shaped island on the far southern reaches of the region is closer to the mainland than it is to many of the other salt-washed islands of the Caribbean.

Let’s start with the weather, which remains unusually steady and warm, unperturbed by the hurricanes and cyclones that wash through the Atlantic belt.

The 300 days of sun and soothing shore waters ensure a steady stream of snowbirds from the US, who can be seen reclining on the sands of Baby Beach in the south, the windblown rocks of Hadikurari, shaded Arashi, or the reef-ringed likes of Boca Catalina right throughout the year.

Then there’s Aruba’s dusty, desert-like interior, peaked over by the lookouts of Haystack Mountain, and the island’s curious Papiamento lingo, fusing Spanish and Dutch, Creole and Portuguese.

The USVI aren’t your usual Caribbean paradise.

That’s not to say they don’t have all the ubiquitous shimmering sands and aquamarine-hued waters.

They do.

It’s to say they have other things up their sleeve too! A mecca for yachters, the trio of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas, together with countless smaller specks of rocky land like Water Island, Thatch Cay and Hassel Island, offer up a pick and mix of little coves and cliff-backed inlets to explore by boat.

Then there’s Salt River Bay, a verdant bloom of mangrove forests that spills into the cobalt blue and pretty underwater corals of Buck Island Reef.

Rum distilleries come ten to the penny too, while pretty remnants of Danish rule still stand above the palm trees and the ferns. Yep, this one’s a real top choice!

Separated by a short gap of sky-blue Caribbean Sea in the midst of the Leeward Islands, the duo that makes up Antigua and Barbuda represent one of the region’s most well-rounded tourist draws.

In St. John’s parish, the small and tight-knit capital of the archipelago, there are cricket grounds and bobbing cruise ships on the horizon, while the slap and click of casino chips is never too far away.

For the best intro to the rest of Antigua (the larger of the two islands), most travelers will scale up to Shirley Heights Lookout, where the pearly-white of beaches, the deep green of the palm forests and the occasional bloom of bougainvillea spread out to reveal Falmouth and English Harbour – two of the earliest colonial towns here.

Stone churches atop cliffs belie the English influence, while old sugar plantations await inland.

And then there’s Barbuda: a mecca for sailors and swimmers in search of real seclusion.

A tumultuous past and political penchant for communism has meant Cuba has remained something of an off-the-beaten-track option for travelers in the Caribbean until only recently.

The latest news is a loosening of travel and import restrictions from America, both expected to bring hordes of new tourists to the so-called Pearl of the Antilles.

There’s certainly no shortage of pulls.

For one, the capital at Havana oozes a vintage charm.

Cadillacs bump up and down the streets and peeling stuccoed frontispieces circa 1925 give way to the off-beats of samba, rumba and songo aplenty; cigar smoke puffs out of the speakeasies and the sun-splashed Malécon is strutted by all sorts! Leaving the Che monuments and Spanish streets behind, the greater island offers up picture-perfect beaches at Varadero, ecotourism amidst karst mountains in Pinar del Río, breathtaking vistas in the Viñales Valley – the list goes on!

St. Lucia is like the child that refused to conform.

Instead of settling down to be overgrown by mangrove and palms, it rose and rose, peaking with the mighty duo of the Pitons, or rising to a whopping 950 meters with the jungle-dressed Mount Gimie at its heart.

Then there are the bubbling volcanic springs and mud pools, forever carving and changing the interior of the island around Soufriere.

And talking of little Soufriere on the south coast, it’s here that travelers will discover the gorgeous cove of Anse Chastanet, hidden between cliffs and promontories and clusters of coastal waterfalls.

The north of the island continues to offer up beauties too, like the golden powder of Reduit Beach and the strong bulwarks of Pidgeon Island National Park – home to fortresses raised by the British during the Seven Years’ War.

If it’s beaches you’re after (and let’s face it, what traveler to the Caribbean isn’t?), then Turks and Caicos is perhaps the perfect spot.

A peppering of over 300 tiny islets in the midst of the Lucayan Archipelago, many of the TCI (as it’s known for short) are little more than just sand banks or rugged pillars of rock that rise above the waters of Caribbean Sea.

The salt-washed jetties of Cockburn Town might be the capital, but it’s laid-back Providenciales that draws all the crowds.

And why not? This U-shaped speck of land comes fringed by alabaster-white Grace Bay, punctuated with luxurious five-star resorts, imbued with old pirate carvings from the 19th century, and ringed by coral gardens just waiting for the intrepid SCUBA diver.

Oh, and it’s the home of the island’s deep-fried conch clams too! Further afield and the TIC offers up uber-romantic honeymoon suites on their own private island, beaches like Malcolm Beach, and the glowing turquoise currents of Chalk Sound to boot!

Start on the Jamaican north shore, where powdery white sands run their way along the coast from the ivory stretches of iconic Seven Mile Beach, past the sheer-cut Negril Cliffs, through the luxury uber-resorts of Montego Bay, around the gushing Dunn’s River Falls, and out to where famous James Bond Beach gives way to the jungles of Ocho Rios in plumes of swaying coconut palms, juniper bushes, mangrove and tamarind.

Further in the east and the mighty Blue Mountains rise in verdant swathes of jungle, Jamaican boas swinging from the vines and the scents of coffee beans wafting along the undergrowth.

Then, on the inland hills, visitors can seek out the birthplace of legendary Bob Marley at Nine Mile, or simply opt to flit between the rum bars of Kingston listening to the master and his steel-drum, Rasta off-beats.

Mo’Bay, meanwhile, pulses with nightlife and the smells of jerk chicken, while honeymooners kick back on beachside decks and sip Red Stripe to the sunset.